Ramsey Parents Selected As Chairpersons Of Bergen Buddy Walk

RAMSEY, N.J. — A borough couple has been selected to be the honorary chairpersons of the Annual Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome, an event that raises awareness and advocates for greater inclusion for children with the disorder.

William and Jennifer Burns' daughter, Shannon Faith, was diagnosed with Down Syndrome in utero six months before she was born. She was also born with laryngomalacia, a breathing disorder. She spend weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit and was on oxygen for a year after she came home. Shannon has a twin sister, Josephine, who was born healthy.

"She is strong. She is determined. She is special," Shannon's mother, Jennifer said.

The family received "amazing" support from the Billy's Buddies group at the Wyckoff YMCA. The support group works to help parents of children with Down Syndrome and the New Jersey Special Olympics.

"We spent a lot of the pregnancy worrying about the unknown," Jennifer Burns said. "Then we found out about this wonderful group of people who have all gone through this and have helped us fill in the blanks."

Their help, Jennifer Burns said, has been invaluable.

"We've had parents who have experienced exactly what we have, put us in the right direction on so many things and to give us constant reassurance," she said. "It's an amazing community and we want to give back to them as much as we can."

The family has participated in previous Buddy Walks. Their team, Shannon's Family of Faith, has raised more than $40,000 in the past two years. Money from the walk also helps fund other programs for special needs children at the Y.

"We've had people come up to us who we don't even know thank us," said William Burns. "One woman had an infant son with Down Syndrome and she just thanked us. To see the love on her face and to answer all of her questions we were asking ourselves just three or four years earlier, that was very rewarding."

Editor's note: The 12th annual Buddy Walk will be Oct. 1, rain or shine at the Wyckoff YMCA. Registration begins at 10 a.m., the walk begins at 11 a.m. For more information, or to register, click here.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photos:

Shannon, William, and Jennifer Burns;

Shannon and her twin sister, Josephine;

The Burns family, from left: Jennifer, Josephine, William, Bill, and Shannon;

Shannon Burns

Photos courtesy of the Burns family